The Gray Area
by SolitaryMist
Summary: There's heroes and villains. Black and white. Who decides where you stand? Others? Yourself? Perhaps it is your heart and actions. This is a lesson the Team needs to learn. And in the end, they'll find that life seems to toss you into the gray area.


**Hey all, thanks for checking this story out! And please give it a chance, very excited about this Young Justice fic. I'd like to thank SanrilTsukina (you should check out her page, she's in my fave authors) and FinalSymphony (same case as San) for helping get this story out there. Ok people, enjoy!**

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A hot breeze made the wheat sway and whisper a tune as the stalks brushed together. A long and winding gravel road carved its way through the fields of gold. The heat shimmering off the rocks made the pretty white house off in the distance look like an illusion, the passerby unable to decide if it could offer real shelter from the burning Texas sun, or if wishful thinking had just gotten the better of them.

A young woman sat on the old fashioned wraparound porch mending a quilt. Her grey eyes wandered from her work to the large concrete swimming pool set in the dry cracked earth. Her hands paused momentarily as she glanced to her right. Assured that no one was watching, she placed her sunhat over her long brown hair and crept over to the water's edge. She hiked the skirt of her white Sunday dress and sat to finish sewing with her feet dangling in the pool. Sweat trickled down her back, but the cool water around her feet was a small mercy on such a hot day.

"Stephanie shame on you!" a sharp voice scolded causing the girl to jump.

Her gaze stayed trained on the ground shamefully, "Sorry mama, it's just so hot outside. I thought I could-"

"I don't want to hear it. Get inside before you stain your clothes. Please don't cause me embarrassment again for arriving late." her mother ordered. She ushered Stephanie inside then stopped in front of a mirror to fix her own hair, correcting any loose strands that dared be out of place. "Don't forget your Bible sweetie," she reminded.

The girl ran upstairs to retrieve her well-thumbed leather Bible off her bed and put on a pair of silk gloves to match her dress. She ran a brush through her hair and repositioned her hat before descending to meet her parents.

"There's my little girl," her father said opening the door, "growing up so fast." Stephanie grinned in embarrassment and shut the car door to their large black Escalade. "Don't think that your daddy has forgotten your birthday," he said over his shoulder adjusting the rearview mirror so he could see her.

"It's true hunny, you're going to be so surprised." her mother flashed a brilliant smile. She reached up and grabbed hold of the rosary hanging on the mirror with her slender fingers with fake French tip nails to stop it from swinging wildly as they bounced down the driveway.

The girl's expression lit up, "What is it papa!" she asked excitedly.

He chuckled, "What does every sixteen year old dream of? You'll see after we get back from church." he glanced sidelong at his wife, "We raised our little girl right."

"A true southern belle." she agreed.

It was true. Stephanie was the definition of a sophisticated young woman. She had been home schooled since she could remember due to public schools 'losing sight of what is right and proper.' She could read exceptionally well, knew Latin and French, and could quote the Bible better than the Pledge of Allegiance. Stephanie had been able to keep the house absolutely spotless since she was eight, a true atonement to her mother's tutoring. Her whole life was devoted to her mighty Savior. She had been well instructed in the ways of abstaining from the modern world's temptations. No matter how fascinating things such as television seemed, her parents' words of warning at how it went against His word and teachings were imbedded in her mind.

The vehicle slowed to a stop in front of their towering church. Stephanie and her family entered the large cathedral door to be greeted by her parents' friends. She stared at the many stained windows depicting the Saints and their journeys with Christ to pass the time until the sermon started.

The congregation stood as the minister stepped to his podium, "Good morning! Please, let is bow our heads in prayer."

~~o~~

Echoes from the final hymn faded before the minister led them in a final thanks to the Lord and dismissed them. Stephanie found her parents in conversation outside with Clayton Estatly.

He was a tall man with slicked back hair and an over dazzling smile. His suit was always as clean a his shaven face and he left an air of smooth authority whenever he strode by. He was a new friend of the girl's parents. Each time he had visited their home he brought expensive gifts, including a beautiful emerald cuff bracelet for Stephanie once. However after the wealthy man had left they would seize her presents and remind her that though he meant well, the pricey trinkets were mere materialistic temptations. Her mother told her that they had been donated to charities which the girl saw as a suitable solution.

"Well Mrs. Noné," he said regarding Stephanie's mother, "I'm in the understanding that it's Miss Stephanie's birthday today. Should we wait until we are at your house to tell her?"

"That would be appropriate," her father consoled. Clayton rested his hand on Stephanie's shoulder to steer her towards their Escalade. She went along in bewildered excitement wondering what all the fuss was about.

This was the biggest deal her birthday had ever been. Sure she always had a present from her parents, but they told her to give thanks to God for the wonderful life he'd given rather than spend the day thinking of herself.

The man rode out with them to their home. Occasionally he would catch her eye and smile. Stephanie would politely return the favor before looking back out the window where the countryside raced by.

She didn't particularly care for Clayton. He was too arrogant from his deep pockets and hid behind his smile. He was smothering in the sense that he was always trying to talk to her, tried to pay special attention to what she was doing, and was artificially nice. Although he was nice enough, she never was compelled to enrich their superficial friendship. Her mother and father were content enough to do that already.

"When I was in Houston the other day I saw the most amazing event. Superman put an end to a standoff between SWAT and some tree-hugging thugs who had a research facility hostage," Clayton said, "They had gotten ahold of some impressive explosives, but he put an end to everything quicker than it started. I tell you, the pictures of him in the paper don't do him any justice!"

"His presence here disturbs me, as well as the rest of his kind," her mother spat with disgust, "Those people are all perversions of His will, they're unnatural." she leaned against the window as if the topic of her rant distressed her too much to continue.

"It's all right dear." her father comforted resting his hand over his wife's, "They will all be Judged when the time is right. It's a shame there isn't any help for them to get better."

Clayton quickly changed the subject, "So Mrs. Noné, I see you like the bracelet I sent."

"Oh yes, it is very wonderful, thank you dear." she extended her arm to let the golden band reflect in the light. She sent Clayton back a warm smile.

Stephanie was almost bursting when she got out of the car. She rounded on her father, "What is it daddy?"

"Tell her son." he said to the young businessman.

The dark haired man took Stephanie's hands into his own, and a strange expression flickered across his face, "Stephanie dear, I hope that you return my feelings." he lifted her hands to his lips for a slight kiss.

She yanked her hand free and took a few paces back. It had to be a strange joke. She sent a pleading glance to her father.

"How dare you! Stephanie, apologize to Mr. Estatly for your behavior and except his offer." her mother snapped indignantly.

"Please, I don't understand..." a chill ran down her spine and her pulse quickened. Stephanie had always trusted her parents and loved them all she was capable of. They had taken care of her an tried to shelter her from the sinful world, but something deep down told her this was terribly wrong. The way Clayton was looking down at her scared her, his eyes dilated and determined.

"It's what every girl dreams of sweetie, a handsome and successful man who can take care of her as a husband." her father soothed.

"But I don't love him like that," Stephanie protested, "He's just a friend. And it can't be right, he's just turned twenty three." she expected them so say, 'Ha! We fooled you!' but instead, she got-

"Stephanie it is your duty to our family that you marry Clayton," her father growled in an undertone she'd never heard before.

"I promise to give you anything you ask," Clayton said.

Her mother began marching over to her, "It is a blessing from God that he has been placed in our lives." she seized her by the arm with a grip as firm as her decision. She began to drag her back towards the car where the two men stood.

"I don't want this," the girl muttered and tears fell down her cheeks. Her mother's golden bracelet caught her eye. And something snapped. They were using her. They had led her down a wrong path this whole time.

_I just want them to die. Just burn_! she cried inwardly as despair overtook her.

Inside the car mechanics stirred in response to that despair. Sparks erupted from the fancy radio as it short-circuited, but no one noticed.

The girl tried to escape her mother's hold, but the effort was for nothing.

The interior of the expensive car began to fill with smoke.

"No!" Stephanie cried.

Suddenly the Escalade burst into flames, the wave of intense heat hit her with enough force to send her flying back, singeing her face and evaporating her tears instantaneously. The harsh light was burned into her vision, she could see it clearly despite her eyes being squeezed shut. A fresh tear streaked a clean path down her dirty face as darkness claimed her consciousness.

~~o~~

Her eyes fluttered open. Her face was dry and it hurt to blink. A few yards away the smoldering wreck glowed in the twilight. She picked herself up from the ground stiffly. Wind sent the embers swirling around the girl as it lifted her long hair from her shoulders. Stephanie's dress and gloves were torn and stained and she began to pick her way through debris.

"So sad," a warm voice said sympathetically.

Stephanie stopped and looked around, "Who's there?" her eyes became adjusted to the dark and she was able to make out a tall slender figure.

"It's alright, I've come to help you," a woman spoke gently to Stephanie. A slight French accent was woven into her silky voice. The embers highlighted her face and made her high cheekbones stand out. She was beautiful, even in her mentally numbed state Stephanie was able to notice.

The stranger wrapped the broken girl with a warm hug. She turned the girl and began leading her away, "Don't worry darling, Madame Marvella is here to help you."

~~o~~

"Rise and shine dear," Marvella roused Stephanie from her slumber. She hardly remembered getting on the private jet the night before, it was all a dull blur. Everything came rushing back to her and she choked back a sob.

"There, there," the elegant woman cooed and embraced the girl once again.

"What happened? Who are you? What do you want me for?" Stephanie asked as the tears reappeared.

Marvella paused to consider her reply, "Stephanie, you are a very special and gifted person."

"What?"

"You caused that explosion. Your mind reached out to the electronics in the car and started a fire to cause the engine to explode. That was your powers protecting you from the harm they were going to inflict on you."

"I still don't understand..." Powers? It didn't make sense.

"I am Madame Marvella. My husband Diedrich foresaw your grief and I was thankfully able to find you in time," they exited the craft into a spacious hanger, their footsteps echoing loudly. She led her to an elevator that sped upwards. A classy 'ding' sounded just before the doors slid open to a large common room. "Welcome to Marvella's School For the Young and Gifted. A place full of people just like you."

"Like me," she muttered and took in the large empty room. There was a large fire place that hadn't seen any use since the winter months. Black leather bean bags dotted the area on top of the large rug and matching arm chairs sat around the perimeter. Flat screens hung near oak book shelves for watching the news.

"So you're saying I have powers? Along with the rest of the kids here?" she looked around and wondered where they were.

"Yes. This is a safe place for people like us, from people like your parents. If anything, they were right: it is a very dangerous world out there. However you won't share their downfall, you will take on the world and fight back against its unjust ways." Marvella explained.

"What happened to mama and papa?" Stephanie asked hesitantly.

"I'm afraid they are gone. Their selfish ways caught up with them. Don't cry please, it wasn't your fault." she rested a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm a monster? Why! I don't want to be one of them!" she cried.

"If He didn't wish you to have these powers, you wouldn't have them. If you ask me Stephanie, _this_ is the gift from God. He gave it to you, and you should probably make good use of it," Marvella reasoned.

Stephanie was quiet. The tall woman was right. The strange turn if events seemed to be for the better, and this was an opportunity to make a life for herself, and be with people like herself.

"Do you want me to give you a tour? The students are in class so this will be the perfect time." Marvella offered.

Stephanie smiled, "I would like that."

"Wonderful!" the headmistress clapped her hands together and they began. She pointed out different school rooms as they passed by, talking briefly about what activities happen in each one. The cafeteria was large and bright, round modern decor dominating the room. An even larger gymnasium was ahead, it included everything an athlete could dream of from work out equipment to a full blown obstacle course. There was an infirmary that was more like a miniature hospital. Everything was so strange and new, yet she found herself wearing a smile.

A long and poorly lit hallway distracted Stephanie and she stopped to gaze down its interior.

"Ah, yes. Pray that you never have to venture down there." Madame Marvella kept going and left it at that. The girl got the impression that maybe she should ask about that topic some other time.

A couple doors passed by and they took a right into a long corridor that began a long and slow decline. The walls changed from their cheery white to a shining alloy highlighted bright blue by the extensive strips of light that ran down the entire stretch on either sides of the path. The woman turned to face Stephanie and the blue highlights gave her a striking appearance.

"It's time to find out the true nature if your powers." Marvella smiled.

"What-" Stephanie didn't have time to finish as the Madame's elegant yet strong hands gave her a prompting shove through the oversized reinforced metal door. She stumbled into an enormous titanium room. A whispered hiss was audible as slid in place to be shut behind her. The lights were cut as she stepped farther in. Red dots found their mark all over her body and her breath caught.

She was desperate for some light. The large room felt like it was closing in, compressing on the girl's helpless frame. Without thinking she said, "Lights please." Instantly they flicked back to life. Mounted guns that protruded from the wall had their targeting lasers trained on Stephanie.

The feeling she got was indescribable. She had told the lights to turn on and they had, just as easily as a master tells his obedient dog to sit. Somewhere in the depths of her mentality she could feel the data flowing in the mechanics of everything in the room. What should be an intangible concept to her from her overly sheltered past made more sense to her than any human could ever hope to comprehend...

She glared at the guns, "You should be ashamed of yourselves." they withdrew their aim at Stephanie and looked down shamefully.

"The power to control technology! Intriguing," the Frenchwoman's voice sounded over the facility's speakers. A tinted window up above the rest of the room brightened to reveal Marvella's tall frame. Another girl was placed to her left. Marvella quickly spoke to her and received a nod before the new girl left the room to carry out her request.

The titanium door opened behind Stephanie and Marvella was waiting for her in the main hallway. She and Stephanie made their way to the head office. The Madame took her seat at the desk and gestured for Stephanie to do the same in the guest chair.

"Please do forgive me for the sudden test, but I have found it's the best way to properly see a new student's power. Of course you weren't in any danger at all," she laced the fingers together and looked directly into Stephanie's eyes, "Well?"

"I like it here," the girl answered, "it seems really nice. Can I really stay?"

"Of course you can darling." that made Stephanie smile.

Tears pricked at her eyes, but in happiness this time. Sure she was upset about her parents, but she was just as angry towards them and twice as confused about what to even think. She decided to put that aside and deal with it later.

"From now on you'll be known as Sync, I have a feeling you'll fit right in." Marvella said.

"What? My name is Stephanie." she said confused.

"No, it's Sync. If you wish to privately tell someone your name, that's up to you. But whenever you are displaying your powers outside of the school in public you must never reveal your birth name. People out in the world will use it against you. They don't understand you and fear you. They will kill you if they have the chance, so stupid is their logic. The world is a dangerous place Stephanie." she began working on paperwork and the door opened. The girl from before entered and looked at Stephanie with a neutral expression. "Ah, Boko. Can you please show Sync to her room? Thanks dear."

Boko nodded and held the door open for Sync. She led the way to the dorms, "So? How is it?"

"I think I like it, I'm not sure what to think yet." Sync answered truthfully.

Boko had startling green eyes. Her long strawberry-brunette hair was extremely layered and had a silky sheen in the light. Her self-assurance radiated off of her, but Sync could tell that she didn't open up to hardly anyone. The expression in those eyes showed their reservations about all they beheld.

"Good. Well, welcome to Madame Marvella's School for the Young and Gifted."

As they walked along Boko would point out things like uniform colors and their meanings, new kids wearing green, and the more experienced students were garbed in light blue. The students in red were part of a group called Grace, hall monitors and that took disciplinary measures towards other students for misconduct. It was an all girls' school, all three hundred of them being sought out by Madame Marvella in times of despair. Her husband was Diedrich, a supposedly handsome German who was a seer, who would catch glimpses of 'gifted' in the future. He was able to detect when their powers awakened in misfortunate circumstances, enabling Marvella to find them in their time of need. He went by the name Omni outside of the school walls. She told Sync of meal and bedtimes, and was often interrupted by other students who said hi and would wave at Sync. Another girl came up and stayed in stride with the two of them.

"Hey Shroud." Boko greeted.

"Hey." the new comer replied. Shroud regarded them with abyssal blue eyes that were so dark Sync first thought they were black. Her hair was pulled into a French braid that hung delicately over her left shoulder. Wavy strands fell from the braid. She seemed to glide as she paced down the hall alongside them. Her delicate cast had an underlying speed that inserted itself into your subconscious observations. There was a thoughtful yet indifferent expression on her face that let a person know that no matter what happened, she could go with the flow.

They made it to the dorms and Boko pointed out Sync's bed. Shroud quietly sat down on her own bed that was enclosed by a large black satin curtain. Boko's was surrounded paintings of glyphs and ruins, bottles filled with powders and strange liquids on top of her nightstand. A rack overhanging her bed held puppets that hung from their strings like limp lifeless bodies. She looked at her own bed, simple and plain.

"Don't worry," Boko said, "you'll get to add to it later. Since you're in the same room as us, that means we're a team. We'll have the same tasks, I hope you can handle it." she gave the new comer a pat on the back.

"Thanks," Stephanie said but the new life ahead of her made her stomach swirl nervously. She sure hoped she could handle it, she knew she would need more strength than ever. She put on a brave face, and kneeled at her bed to pray.

~~o~~

"Damn it!" growled Superboy. Kid Flash sped off again out of his reach as an infuriating +5 floated up behind him, only adding to his boiling frustration.

Kid Flash wore a smirk, "You seem distracted, my good looks getting the better of you? Don't worry man, you'll catch up someday."

"I think it would be wise if you just focused on your training at the moment." Aqualad commented with his back turned while watching the local news that was projected from the floating digital screen.

When Kid Flash was about to reply with a snarky remark, it gave Superboy the opening needed to land a good hit in his stomach. He flew across the training platform and bounced a few times before coming to a stop. The unnecessary 'Failed' flashed over him before disappearing.

"Dude! Not cool distracting me like that!" the redhead shot at Aqualad. The team leader only shook his head in good humor for response.

"Recognized, Bat Man, 02," the security system announced as his dark figure materialized. Aqualad muted the reporter's ramblings. Bat Man pulled up the holographic computer, "Wrap it up." he ordered, "Something's come to our attention."

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**Okiday, thanks for getting this far! If any of you were turned off by the religious aspect of it, do not fear, just had to establish Sync and her back story. Next chapter will be out soon, and we'll see a lot more of the Team from now on ;) If you've liked what you've read so far, please stick around to see where this story is going. New chapters can only come out with some feedback ^^**

**Sync (c) FinalSymphony**

**Shroud (c) SanrilTsukina**

**Boko (c) SolitaryMist**

**Marvella and her School for the Young and Gifted (c) all three of us, please do not steal or use in anyway without permission or you won't like it :3**

**Young Justice (c) DC (sadly, I do not own it...)**

**Want some art of Sync and the group? Check out Sanril on DeviantART, look for SanTsuki**

**If you're a fellow DA member, look for the story in my gallery, my user name there is SolitaryEssence**

**Please review guys, thanks for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!**


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